Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rathtos 05-18-07, 12:06 PM	Below you will see my character history for a Shield Dwarf Barbarian. This is for a game that is actually starting today, and I was hoping you might have suggestions for areas that I could improve on. Here are his stats: Level 6 Barbarian Feats: Weapon Focus (Great Falchion) Foe Hunter Orc Exotic Weapon (Great Falchion) Reckless Rage Power Attack Cleave (Yes I know those are more feats than a typical barbarian at level 6 gets, this is a custom class that my DM made up) Any opinions would be great, thanks! Brock History They’re dead…. All dead, lifeless and bloodied….. At the youthful age of twenty-nine, Brock experienced his first clash of chaos, fury and death. It was supposed to be a simple trip, one that should have taken no more than two weeks. His family had decided to travel from Sundabar to Mithral Hall, the home of their ancestors. Rumors had spread that clan Battlehammer had retaken their home from the beast Shimmergloom, and had once again, after so many years, opened the doors of the ancient hall inviting those who would have it, to come “home”. These rumors soon became fact, and Brock’s family was more than eager to make the short journey and start anew. Unfortunately these plans were cut short. By the third day of travel, merchants along Silverymoon Pass were reporting sightings of Orc bands heading for Sundabar. These short wars happened once every two or three years, and lasted but a few weeks before the orcs were driven back once again. The decision was made, the group of 15 Dwarves, mostly family, had decided to head back to the protection of Sundabar until this war had passed. There was no reason to risk danger, not when all of their possessions were in tow and would be forfeit if they were to run into the path of these Orcs. Brock would never forget the events of the coming night. He awoke to a shrilling yell. Not a yell that a dwarf could make, no, this was too high pitched. Brock’s sister, Niva, quickly rushed to his side and helped him to his feet. Within seconds Brock realized that their camp had been ambushed, and he could smell the foul stench of Orcs surrounding them. The next few moments flew by in a haze of screams, blood and confusion. Niva swiftly hurried Brock away to some semblance of safety, urging him as fast and far away as possible. In the distance He could hear the pain filled screams of Orc and Dwarf alike. It was not long before they both realized they were being chased down by two Orc warriors. Niva drew her battleaxe as they ran, and instructed Brock to just keep running, regardless of what he heard or saw. “May Haela guide your path and protect you. Don’t stop, just run!” There was no way Niva and Brock together would be able to outrun the pursuing Orcs, they were just not fast enough. Niva stopped, turned, and charged the attackers with fierce conviction, and Brock just kept running, he ran for hours; he ran for months, and in many ways he is still running today. ________________________________________ ________________________________ Niva was like a mother to him, constantly guiding him and teaching him the lessons of life. Overprotective and full of love, she would nurture and shelter him through his early years. She was a devoted follower of Haela Brightaxe, and this devotion was respected by Brock, almost revered. Needless to say Niva had a strong influence on her much younger brother, and he would follow the principles and teachings that Niva had shared with him. That night Brock lost his family and his home. He would soon learn to hate himself for running, hate himself for being a coward when he might have helped…. Although deep down he understood that nothing he could have done would change things, but the shame of knowing he did nothing, when he could have done something, would haunt him forever. This disgrace and guilt would later turn to rage and eventually take him down a path of fury and revenge, transforming his shame into purpose, and vowing to hunt down every last Orc he could get his hands on. For the next decade he would spend his time traveling across the north, following rumors of Orc gatherings and attacks, and hunting down the enemy that changed his life forever. Brock would run into a nomad by the name of Hilsingrad, a Human soldier that was hunting down the same group of Orcs that Brock had recently began to track. They spent many months together, and scoured the surrounding area of Jalanthar to rid it of Orcs. The only difference was Hilsingrad was being paid for his services, where Brock was doing it for the pure joy of spilling Orc blood. The two became great friends, and Brock learned how to wield a Great Falchion from Hilsingrad, which was his weapon of choice. Later they would cross each others path from time to time, catching up on recent events, and sharing in a stout Ale at the local bar. Hilsingrad is one of the few humans Brock would ever become close friends with. Eventually his path led him to Mithral Hall, and he finished what his family had originally set out to do so many years ago. He settled his home in Mithral Hall, made a few friends, and learned more of his ancestry. Not much time had passed before his restless spirit once again urged him outside, and back on the hunt. After more time had passed, he found himself needing more than just killing Orcs, and began to pursue other adventuring goals as well. He had become aware of his value as a warrior, and started to hire himself out as mercenary, accumulating wealth while still doing what he loved to do most, fight. Hilsingrad was right, getting paid to do what you love most is one of the true pleasures in life, a pleasure that Brock would now take part in. The good news for him is that in these parts Orcs were typically what these merchants would run into anyway, and his prowess in battle against this enemy would soon become known to most travelers who would seek protection. Physical Characteristics Brock is one of the tallest Shield Dwarves in The North. Weighing in at roughly 280 pounds he is an imposing figure and furious combatant. His black hair rolls down to his shoulder blades, and is typically pulled back away from his eyes in a ponytail. His beard is always unkempt and usually stained with splatterings of blood due to the fact that he rarely bathes and often fights. Brock’s right hand is a gruesome sight. It has been severely burned to the point that upon first glance one would not even recognize it as a hand, but a grisly stump of putrid charred flesh. This transformation is the result of too many drunken nights where an unlucky, drunk, traveler would challenge Brock to a contest of stamina at the local pub. This challenge would at first take place in the form of a drinking contest, and once the said challenger is inebriated enough Brock would coerce him into taking it a step farther, and challenge the opponent in a “true test of manhood”. This “test of manhood” would involve both parties to willfully place their hand into a cauldron of boiling water. The first one to pull their hand out of the boiling water would admit defeat and loose whatever bet had taken place. Brock has yet to loose, but is crazy enough that he may one day loose his hand to this foolish game of lunacy. Personality Stubborn, brash, passionate and fanatical are four great words to sum up Brock’s persona. In order to truly understand the roots of his personality, and the reasons for his actions you must take a deeper look into his past. His guilt over his retreat on the night his family was slain has changed his outlook on life. Brock has been engulfed in an internal conflict, constantly having to prove to himself his bravery, valor and courage. He has a soft spot for protecting those that are too weak to protect themselves, and does this when the opportunity presents itself. Brock never backs down from a challenge, and finds personal pleasure in challenging others when the situation calls for it. Although he is very confrontational and quick to act when his values are in line with his subsequent actions, he is rather silent when it comes to matters that he holds no strong opinion for one way or the other and will typically follow in step with the actions of his companions, doing what is necessary to protect them at all costs. One thing he will never do again is run away from a dangerous situation when his actions could possibly save the lives of those who he has grown to respect, and even love… No matter how precarious the situation might seem, he holds true to the saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. His views of others are quite judgmental. His opinion of arcane users is that they are typically cowards. Rogues embody all the characteristics that he loathes, crafty fools that have no self respect or honor. Clerics and druids are useful albeit typically misguided, unless of course they serve a god of battle and war, in which case he holds the utmost respect for them. Bards serve to record his deeds and Fighters are typically too reserved to get their armor dirty and reach their full potential.
amatulic 05-22-07, 01:12 AM	Improve? Good heavens, you wrote more background about your character than most other players EVER do. Most of it should be used as reference material for yourself. From my own experience I learned that other players will read short backgrounds of other players, but not longer ones. The best situation is if your DM lets your characters talk to each other about themselves between battles. -A